Just What He Needed
by Kyra5972
Summary: After hearing the rumors about Amy’s pregnancy, Ricky just needs some reassurance from his family.


**Title:** Just What He Needed

**Author:** Kyra

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them; if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

**Summary:** After hearing the rumors about Amy's pregnancy, Ricky just needs some reassurance from his family.

**Pairings:** None

**Spoilers:** Um, none really. Set the day Ricky hears the rumors at school for SLOTAT and early season 2 for Buffy, though that isn't really all that important…

**Warnings:** None that I can think of…..

**A/N:** Okay, so this is insanely late….It was supposed to be Ice_Whisper's Valentine's Prezzie, but I got wicked busy and hit with writer's block and it didn't get finished in time… So, it's like 2 ½ weeks late….Sorry about that. Anyway, I hope everyone likes it!

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He'd had to get out of there. Had to get away from the whispers, the looks, the rumors; rumors he really wished he hadn't heard. So he'd skipped. He'd ignored the fact that it was only lunch and he still had two classes left before his day was over and simply walked out, got in his car and drove away.

He needed to talk and he needed advice, so that's where he was going, it didn't really matter to him that it would take him a little over two hours to get where he was going. He knew he could talk to Margaret or Dr. Fields, but they weren't who he wanted. They were both great in their own ways, and neither would judge him, but neither one of them was his mom either. Granted, the woman he was going to see wasn't actually his mom either, but she felt like it. She had been his first foster mom, he'd been placed with her when he was ten and stayed with her until he was fourteen. As much as she wanted to keep him, and as much as he wanted to stay, things had just been too complicated and hectic. Between his foster dad being a workaholic who was never around, his sister - foster sister, technically - burning down her school gym, her dad institutionalizing her, and his foster parents getting a divorce, it was all just too much and he'd ended up back in the system, getting placed with Margaret and Sanjay shortly after.

His mom had managed to get his sister out of the loony bin and once the divorce was final, the two of them had moved to a town about two hours away. He still talked to them on the phone, and tried to meet up with them whenever they went to L.A., but he really didn't get to see them too often anymore. But he was going to now. He needed the support of his family, needed to talk, needed advice, needed to hear everything was going to be okay…and a hug would be nice, too.

Ricky sighed as he pulled into the driveway, letting his forehead rest on the steering wheel for a moment before turning the car off and staring up at the house. Finally getting out of the car, he breathed a sigh of relief as he noted the car in the driveway; he'd been so intent on getting there, he'd completely forgotten his mom would most likely be at work. Thankfully, it looked like she was home. Ringing the doorbell, he only had to wait a couple minutes before the door opened and his mom was staring at him in shock.

"Ricky?"

"Hi, Mom."

Joyce Summers stared at the teen on her front step in shock for a moment before shaking herself and gesturing for the boy to come in. As soon as the door closed, she turned around and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, it's been so long!" Joyce exclaimed as she stepped back to look at the boy she considered her own. After a second, a slight frown crossed her face. "Did you skip school?" she asked, giving Ricky a disapproving look.

Ricky looked down at the floor and shrugged. "Just my last two classes," he replied. "But I have a good reason."

Joyce sighed. "Why don't you go sit down in the living room and I'll get us some hot chocolate and you can tell me all about it," she suggested.

Ricky nodded and looked up at her. "With little marshmallows?" he asked hopefully, an adorable, boyish grin on his face.

Joyce laughed. "Yes, with little marshmallows. Now, go sit down, I'll be in in a minute," she told him.

Ricky grinned and nodded once more before moving into the living room and flopping down on the couch.

A few minutes later, Joyce walked into the living room and sat down next to Ricky on the couch. Handing him his hot chocolate, she watched him sip at it for a moment before diving right in. "Now tell me; what's wrong?" she asked.

Ricky stared down into his cup of cocoa silently for a few minutes before replying, his answer so quiet Joyce almost missed it. "I heard a rumor at school today that I got a girl pregnant…" he whispered.

Joyce's eyes went wide as her jaw dropped slightly in shock. Shaking herself lightly, she put her cocoa on the coffee table in front of them and gently took Ricky's from him and set it down as well. She reached out and tilted the sixteen-year-old's face up until he was looking at her. "Is it true?" she asked gently.

Ricky's eyes darted away for a moment before meeting hers once more as he shrugged lightly, "It might be…"

Joyce sighed lightly as she sank back against the couch. "Tell me about her?" she requested.

"Her name's Amy, Amy Jeurgens," he replied softly, focusing on where his hands were twisting in his lap. "We met at band camp over the summer. She plays the french horn. She's fifteen, a year younger than me…" Ricky looked pained as he turned to look at Joyce once more, "God, I completely ruined her life, didn't I?"

"Oh, Sweetie…" Joyce said softly as she pulled Ricky into a hug, running her hand through his hair and up and down his back soothingly. A few seconds later, her hug tightened as she felt Ricky's tears begin to soak through her shirt where his face was pressed against her shoulder.

"She must hate me," Ricky said, his voice muffled.

"Do you know what she's going to do?" Joyce asked and Ricky shook his head.

"I don't even know if it's true yet."

"If it is true, what do you _want_ her to do?"

Ricky shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "I'm not ready to be a dad. I can't be. What…what if I'm like _him_?"

Joyce pulled back and looked at Ricky fiercely, "I don't ever want to hear you say something like that again! You are _nothing_ like him, and you never could be! You'll be a wonderful dad. Sure, I would have preferred it if it wasn't so soon, but there's nothing we can do about that now."

Ricky looked at Joyce uncertainly, tears still tracing down his face. "You really think I'd be a good dad?" he asked quietly, voice more than a little uncertain.

Joyce smiled softly and nodded, "The best. Ricky, I know you; you'll do anything and everything in your power to make sure your kid has the best life possible and that they know their daddy loves them. It'll be hard and you might make a few mistakes, but all first time parents do. God, I was terrified when I had Buffy! I thought I'd end up being the worst mom ever."

"Not possible," Ricky stated, shaking his head before smiling at Joyce. "You're the best mom ever."

Joyce smiled and pulled Ricky in for another hug, "Thank you, Sweetie, that's always nice to hear," she said. "You know I wanted to keep you with us, right?"

Ricky nodded. "I know. Things don't always go the way we want, though, right?"

"Right," Joyce replied. "Now…As much as I've loved seeing you again, you should probably be heading home before it gets too late. I'll call and let Margaret know you were here and that you're on your way home."

Ricky nodded sadly, knowing she was right, but really not wanting to go "Where's Buffy?" he asked, realizing that he hadn't seen his sister all afternoon, even though she should have gotten home from school around the same time he got to the house.

"She was studying with Willow after school then I think they were all going out to the Bronze," Joyce replied. "Want me to have her call you when she gets home?"

"Are you sure I can't just stay and wait for her?" Ricky asked hopefully, then deflated when he saw the look on Joyce's face. "Didn't figure as much, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?"

Joyce laughed softly and shook her head in bemusement. "I'd let you if it wasn't a school night," she told him. "But it's getting late and you do have class in the morning. And a two hour drive home."

Ricky nodded. "I know," he said as he stood up from the couch, Joyce standing as well. "But I've missed you guys."

Joyce pulled Ricky into a hug once more. "We've missed you, too, Sweetie," she whispered. "Next time I'm in L.A., I'll call and we can go do something, okay? I might even talk to Margaret and see if she'll agree to letting you skip school for the day. I'll bring Buffy and we'll have a family day."

Ricky returned the hug before pulling back and smiling widely at Joyce, "I'd like that."

The two headed for the door and Ricky fished his keys out of his pocket.

"You drive safe," Joyce said, "and call me when you get home so I know you made it okay. And I'll have Buffy call you when she gets home."

Ricky nodded and smiled as he stepped out onto the porch.

"And, Ricky?"

Ricky turned to look back at Joyce once more, a curious look on his face. "Yeah?"

"You'll make a wonderful dad, don't worry so much," she said and Ricky smiled lightly in reply. "I love you."

Ricky smiled wider and stepped forward for one more hug, unable to resist. "I love you, too."

"We'll see you soon," Joyce assured him and he nodded, quickly turning and heading for his car before he could try and find another excuse to stay longer.

As he pulled out of the driveway, Ricky smiled softly to himself, far more relaxed than he had been just hours earlier. '_That was just what I needed_,' he thought as he watched Joyce's silhouetted form fade in his rearview mirror as he drove away, the feel of love and safety that always came with her presence lingering around him. '_Just what I needed_.'

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**Well? I'm not really sure how much I like the end…There's a reason I hate writing in multiple sittings, I lose the flow of where I'm going. Anyway, hope you all liked it! Review, please?**

**~ Kyra**


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